A film to inspire more blogging!

I recently went to a special preview screening of Julie and Julia. As one of the film's storylines centres on an extremely dedicated blogger, I have been inspired to keep my own blog maintained and update with more reviews more reguarly (I realise this is like the fourth time I've made this claim...).

Julia and Julia (2009) Dir. Nora Ephron

Apart from the hugely successful Sleepless in Seattle and the lesser You've Got Mail, the output of Nora Ephron has hardly set the world alight. Her last feature, Bewitched was a critical and commercial disaster for both herself and star Nicole Kidman so she is undoubtly hoping to erase that from memory by drafting in the might Meryl Streep who here, plays real life celebrity chef Julia Child (just imagine the American Fanny Craddock). The film charts her rise to fame as she takes up cooking lessons in Paris and tackles the inbuilt snobbery of the business. Simultaneously, Amy Adams places the Julie of the title, a modern day woman working in a stressful and uninspiring job. In need of boost of creativity and self worth, she decides to write her own blog where she makes all 524 recipes of Julia Child's debut cookbook in just 365 days.

As Child, Streep delivers another masterful performance embodying the character in appearance and voice but also supplying her joyful, whimsical facade with extra layers of longing, ambition and regret (the scene when she learns of her sister's pregnancy is particularly affecting). The only negative is that the impact of her portrayal is diminished by the very fact that Child is not exactly a household name in the UK. Her scenes, which largely take place in Paris and trace the roots of her passion for cooking and rise to domestic goddess are filled with warmth and humour and she is ably supported by Stanley Tucci as her devoted husband, adding a considerable amount of heart to the proceedings.

The film's main problem however, arises with the other half of the storyline. As Julie, Amy Adams has clearly drawn the short straw- being handed a far less engaging premise and a character who, in stark comparison to Julia, is dowdy, miserable and frankly, a bit wet. The opportunity to display a huge array of tantalisingly scrumptious foods and recipes, (which is taken advantage of in films such as Waitress or Chocolat) is completely wasted here and the preoccupation lies predictably with the effect her blogging is having on her life and relationship with her husband. This is a shame as Adams has previously proven herself to be a delightful screen presence. Here though, she is royally trounced off the screen by Streep.

Despite this unevenness, Julie and Julia largely serves as an inoffensive, satisfying and often touching account of two women's mission to find some purpose in their lives. It could have just done with a bit more food porn...

3/5.